Though the Darkness and Back
by Mustangs-kid-1
Summary: A normal day in Destiny Islands turns into saving a girl from the sky. Adena, a keyblade wielder with amnesia, joins Sora, Riku, and Kairi on their adventure. New friendships are tested as light and darkness clash. What is Adena's mysterious past? And what abilities are hidden inside her? Rated T for safety and for later chapters. WARNING: Alternate Story- don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, peoples! This is my first KH fanfic and I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Riku: I hope you don't make me OOC in this...**

**Me: I'm trying my hardest! T-T Kairi, could you do the disclaimer?**

**Kairi: Mustangs-kid-1 does not own anything from Kingdom Hearts, except for-**

**Me: Don't tell them that yet!**

**Sora: Read and Review!**

* * *

It was typical day on Destiny Islands, though a sparring could be heard between Sora and Riku. Kairi watched and cheered on as the two clashed with wooden swords. Both of them fought for her attention, though not openly showing so. As they clashed with fury, their stamina and strength evenly matched each other. They pushed off, landing on opposite sides of the small island.

Riku climbed onto the Paopu tree growing from the edge and leapt from it, pulling a cunning aerial attack on his friend, taking him by surprise. Sora tried desperately to block Riku's sword, but the force of the blow knocked him off his feet and left him eating sand. Riku had won this round.

Kairi cheered and ran to him, giving him a victory hug. Sora stood to dust himself off and shakily walked over to his friends, weary from the match that just took place. Riku threw an arm around Sora's neck and noogied his friend.

"Sora, you're getting better. Maybe you'll beat me one day," Riku said with a smirk.

Sora pushed him away, grinning, "Of course I will! You won't be the best forever!"

They laughed and began to walk off the pier, but Kairi remained frozen in her spot. Only shortly after they began walking away did they notice her absence and went back for her. She seemed like she was just staring off into the sky. Sora looked puzzled at her blank expression and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hey Kairi, are you coming or what?" Sora asked.

A few seconds pass, she raised her hand and pointed slowly toward the sky almost trance-like. The boys looked up, trying to find what she was pointing to. When she found her voice, she said wavering.

"Something's falling from the sky!"

Riku ran to the Paopu tree and climbed to the top, trying to get a better look. He peered out, surprised at what he saw.

"It's a person!" Riku said alarmed.

"We have to do something!" Sora exclaimed.

"What can we do?" Kairi asked.

Riku hopped off the tree and faced his friends. "We can save them," he said simply.

Looking at Sora, he nodded and the two sprinted to the edge of the tiny island before entering the crystal clear water. The falling person crashed into the water, a large spray shooting upward upon impact. Being swifter, Riku dove under, searching almost panicky to find the sinking person. He then saw the being sinking deeper and deeper into the watery depths.

His oxygen supply quickly fleeting, he rose to the surface and took a deep breath before diving again. The pressure around his body grew as he submerged deeper, but he was determined to save the person from downing. With a thrust, he pushed himself and latched onto the person's arm. He struggled to swim upward due to the extra weight slowing him down. At that oment, Sora appeared from above, and took hold of the person.

Together, they surfaced, breaking the surface of the water. They greedily took deep breaths of air. They carefully paddled back to shore as Kairi waited for them. They threw themselves on the sand as they tried to regain their air supply in their lungs.

Coughing and hacking caught the three's attention. They turned to a drenched and dripping girl, who they just saved! Relief filled the air, but only to fade away when blood mixed into the sand.

"She's injured!" Kairi exclaimed.

Riku and Sora scrambled to see the girl's wounds. Three long gashes ran down her side and bruises scattered around her body. Riku gingerly picked her up with some help from Sora just as she blacked out. They raced across the beach, trying to help the stranger in need.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Wakka watched the girl's unconscious body as she breathed silently on the small bed. They sat quietly in the small hut on the tiny island. Before they layed her down, something wrapped in soft, now wet, canvas fell from her. From under the cloth came a bright, metallic glint. Riku lifted it and checked to see what it was.

"We shouldn't mess with her stuff," Kairi warned.

Riku sighed as he put it down on the small table. Wakka had ran out to find a potion, or some medical items. Kairi looked over at the girl, scanning over her features and her wounds. Every so often she wound twitch or her head wound move side to side, but her face was mostly expressionless.

"I wonder how she got hurt…," Kairi thought aloud.

Sora looked at Riku. "You think it's something we d-"

Before he could finish, Riku interrupted.

"Of course not! Her wounds were way to serious to be something we did!" he replied.

Sora looked down and shrugged. "Yeah…I guess…"

Riku adverted his eyes back to the girl's sole object. The light glinted off the bit of metallic surface to which peaked his curiosity. He disregarded Sora's words and unwrapped the cloth from the object, revealing two shiny objects. His eyes widened as the cloth landed softly on the ground. Sora was entranced with it as well.

"Woooooaaah-" Sora gasped.

In Riku's hand were two swords. One was a small double-edged sword with a blue hilt in the middle. The two blades were glistening black and silver that were sharp and lethal. The other sword was bigger that was shaped in a sort of dragon or demon wing. It was greenish blue and yellow colored and had sharp edges on the jagged side. It had a curved hilt and a grey handle in the middle for backhanded or front-hand combat. A keychain with a little symbol dangled of the end of the hilt.

"Please…don't take them…," a hoarse voice cried.

Riku almost dropped the swords as he turned to the girl.

"Please…it's the only…thing…I have…,"she nearly choked.

She fell back on the bed, her black bangs nearly covering her eyes. The three of them began to panic. Wakka ran in just in time, helping her sit up and calm her down. When she managed to sit up, pain shot up from her wounds. Wakka offered her a small bottle of green liquid. She grabbed it hesitantly, opening it and nearly gagging at the scent of it.

She took a breath and downed the liquid, finding it was tasteless. Almost instantly, her wounds began to heal and close. She touched her side in awe.

"Sweet..," was all she could manage.

Here reply earned some questionable looks from the others. Sora walked up to the girl and smiled his trade mark smile.

"Hi! I'm Sora!" he introduced himself.

"I'm Adena!" the girl replied and returned the smile.

Riku raised a silver eyebrow then chuckled.

"I'm Riku, and you're fairly open for someone surrounded by strangers," he said.

Adena shrugged. "I like to give people the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm Waka," said the tanned boy, walking out. "I'll be back with some more stuff."

Kairi came closer to Adena. "I'm Kairi, so where did you come from?" she asked.

"Yeah! Where did you come from?" Sora added.

Adena thought for a minute, crossing her arms. She had an almost strained look on her face.

"I-…I don't remember…," Adena said sadly.

Riku, Sora, and Kairi looked at each other.

"She might have amnesia..," Riku concluded.

"Amne-wha?" Sora questioned.

"She can't remember things well," Kairi explained. "She might have gotten it when she fell from the sky."

"Ooooh," Sora replied, then turning back to Adena. "So what do you remember?"

Adena looked at the swords in Riku's hand. "Well, I know those are mine," she said, pointing to them. "I forgot the big one, but the small one is hand-crafted." She paused, then continued. "I like music, I draw, I'm 13, I apparently fell from the sky…er...that's it really…"

"That's not much to go on…," Riku muttered.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with us!" Sora said with a cheesy smile, earning a playful shove from Kairi.

Adena returned the smile. "I guess that's the case," she replied and looked at Riku who looked uninterested. She started to plot things in her mind.

First thing to do here, get Riku to like her, or at least be friends.

"So…where am I?" she asked.

"You're in Destiny Islands!" Sora answered immediately.

"Destiny Islands….has a nice ring…," Adena mumbled to herself. "Oh, thank you for saving me."

Sora rubbed the back of his head embarrassed while Riku looked away.

"It was nothing, really," Riku replied.

"Yeah, no problem at all!" Sora added.

Kairi giggled while Adena just smile.

She could get used to this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya peoples! I have to say thank you to SparkySkye812 and HeartsApart7 for reading and reviewing this. I'm so happy this is turning out well!**

**Riku: Eh, it could be better...**

**Me: I know that! Don't rain on my parade! Disclaimer please! **

**Adena: Mustangs-kid-1 does not own anything from Kingdom Hearts, except for me!**

**Sora: Read and Review!**

* * *

It was a sunny day on Destiny Islands. A day were people worked and played, or in Sora's case….slept. He fell asleep on the shore in a deep slumber. After some time, he woke up slowly, adjusting his eyes and seeing the blinding sun in the sky. After realizing he was just on the beach, he laid back down and yawned. He was about to close his eyes only to meet indigo eyes staring down at him.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed as he sat up with a jerk, earning a giggle from Kairi. "Give me a break Kairi."

Kairi only retorted with,"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

"No! This huge, black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't—," Sora tried to explain, only to be hut on the head by Kairi's hand. "Ow!"

"Are you still dreaming?" Kairi asked, putting her hands on her knees.

"It wasn't a dream!" Sora retorted. "Or was it? I don't know." He paused. "What was that place?" he asked himself aloud. "So bizarre…"

"Yeah, sure," Kairi sighed as she walked forward a little and faced away from him and out to the ocean.

"So Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up," Sora asked.

"I told you before, I don't remember," she replied.

Sora pressed on. "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing," Kairi replied.

"You ever wanna go back?" Sora questioned without hestitation.

"Hmm..." she thought for a minute, "Well, I'm happy here."

"Really..." Sora responded, obviously unconvinced.

"But you know…," she started, turning back to him, "I wouldn't mind going to see it."

"I'd like to see it too." Sora added. "Along with any other worlds out there! I wanna see 'em all!"

Kairi turned and smiled. "So what are we waiting for?"

"Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" Riku questioned as he approached them with a sturdy piece of driftwood slung on his shoulder. "So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft."

He threw the log at Sora who was sitting next to him. He nearly dropped it, being unprepared for the throw. He stepped up to Kairi, putting his hands on his hips.

"And you're just as lazy as he is," he reprimanded.

Kairi giggled, not denying it. "So you noticed. Okay, let's finish it together. I'll race you!"

Riku had just sat down next to Sora, who had discarded the log. "Huh?"

"What? Are you kidding?" Riku replied, rolling his eyes.

Kairi only giggled. "Ready? Go!"

Grinning to each other, Riku and Sora shot to their feet, dashing across the sand. Kairi ran right behind them, laughing most of the way. They reached the door to the other side of the island, panting heavily and soon met with Kairi. She soon looked around in confusion. Sora noticed this.

"What's wrong, Kairi?" he asked.

"I knew we were missing something…," Kairi replied in embarrassment. "Where's Adena?"

Riku just waved her off. "Who knows? She's probably hugging trees or something…"

"HEY!" a shout came from the Seaside Shack. "I find that highly offensive! I don't hug trees! I draw them!"

The three stared up, seeing Adena standing on the Seaside Shack with one hand on her hip and a sketchbook in the other. Her jet black and silver hair was blown lightly by the breeze. (Her hair was originally only black, but Sora and Riku thought it would be funny to put permanent silver hair dye as a prank.) She also had black and blue headphones around her neck.

"Oh, sorry, Adena," Riku apologized, dripping with sarcasm. "Didn't notice you up there. Guess we forgot all about you…"

She jumped down and punched Riku lightly. "You're a jerk, Riku," she pouted.

Riku only grinned. "Aw, you know you love me."

"You wish," Adena replied as she flicked his forehead and stuck her tongue out.

Riku recoiled and poked her face in return.

"Don't poke me, ass," she growled.

Riku tousled her hair as he went to go work on the raft. She only sighed as she came back to the Seaside Shack, hoping her subject was patient for her. When she settled herself, she saw a colorful parrot looking at her with curious eyes. She threw a cracker from her backpack, watching it catch it and eating it happily. She flipped through her sketchbook, finding her recent during of a half-drawn parrot she had been working on, and took out a pencil.

"Ok, birdie, just…hold…still…," she whispered.

As she continued to draw, she heard Sora's and Kairi's voices from below. She was telling Sora to start doing his part on finishing the raft.

"Why can't you get Adena to help you?" Sora complained.

"Because while you were resting, me and Riku already did our parts for the day. Now get going, lazy bum," Kairi retorted as she walked away.

After a few moments, Sora set off to do his work and Adena just laughed and put her headphones on. She went back to her drawing, which was nearly complete. She was working on the shading when Sora gave his supplies to Kairi and went up to her. This parrot sure was a patient one…as long as she fed it. Sora watched in awe as she completed the drawing; nearly three hours of hard work and pencil lead.

"That's REALLY good, Adena…," Sora gasped.

Adena didn't hear him due to the music playing in her headphones. All she heard was a slight murmuring.

_It's in your eyes, a color fade out._

_Looks like a new transition._

_It starting up and shaking your ground,_

_Turning your head to see a new day calling._

"Adena," Sora called out and poked her three times.

"Huh, wha?" was her reply as the music played on. She took one phone off one ear, the music now can be heard almost clearly.

_Does it feel like a head to lean on?_

_A snapshot from where you were born_

_I'm looking for your hand in the rough,_

_You're caught in the wire,_

_Well, I'll lift you out._

A cascade of guitars, drums, and percussions started to play. Sora could never understand why Adena liked that kind of music.

"I said that's really good," Sora said, pointing to the picture.

"Thanks!" Adena smiles, feeling herself swell with some pride.

"Mind if I see some more?" Sora asked.

"Sure, but I'm gonna have to go through it for you," she replied, "There are some I don't want others to see…"

"Why? Are they bad?" Sora asked curiously.

"Y-yeah…that's it," Adena muttered.

Adena began to flip through the pages, going slow so that he could absorb the artwork. They were mostly full of landscapes of the islands and the wildlife. He liked the detail she put into every picture. From the lush, green plants to the calm, blue oceans were portrayed beautifully. Some of them were colored while others were left black in white, but they looked better that way to Adena. Every so often she would skip a few pages and go on. Though once she slipped up, and Sora caught a hint of silver.

"What was that?" Sora question, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Nothing!" Adena said quickly, shutting the sketchbook promptly.

"Oh…I see…," he said, then quickly snatching the sketchbook out of her hands. This caught her off guard.

"Give that back!" Adena yelled as she tried to get it back.

Sora pushed her away and flipped to the page were Adena slipped up. When he found what he was looking for, he raised one brown eyebrow. Then a devious smile grew on his face.

'Damnit…,' Adena thought. 'This can't be happening…'

"Were your drawings actually bad, Adena? Or is you didn't want me to see!" Sora exclaimed.

Adena fought back her embarrassment. She knew that picture well…it was of Riku. It was two weeks ago since she drew that. Riku had been sitting on the paopu tree that day, the wind making his hair sway lightly. It took her three days to complete it with every detail. Oh yeah…she remembered that picture all too well…

"Please give it back," Adena nearly pleaded.

"No! I wanna see if there's anymore!" Sora contradicted, and began to flip through the pages.

'This cannot be happening!' Adena thought.

A blush came to her face as Sora started at the beginning. As he went through it, he started to laugh a little. His conclusion was indeed correct. The pictures she wouldn't show him were all of Riku. Some were in color while others were left in black in white. She lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes and a little of her face. Her blush was now crimson red. She had been caught, and her secret was now displayed freely to Sora.

_Leading on the action,_

_Caught in a cell phones' rays._

_Bleeding on the sofa,_

_Staring at the wayside._

_He's coming and she knows it._

_Even though she knows why_

_Footsteps in the hallway,_

_Girl you haven't got time._

_You gotta get out~_

_Go far away~_ _[x2]_

After what seemed like hours, Sora closed the book and gave it back to her. She clutched it and held it close while Sora had a grin plastered on his face. Adena knew what this could lead to.

"Please don't tell anyone! Especially him!" Adena began to beg. "If he finds out-!"

"Calm down, I won't tell him…," Sora said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But you do like him a lot, don't you?"

She turned her head away and nodded, the blush coming back to her face.

"It's fine, I'll keep your secret," Sora grinned.

"Promise?" Adena questioned, taking off her headphones.

"I promise," Sora replied, sticking out his pinky finger. Adena held out her pinky as well and they wrapped them around each other.

"Hey, if you break your promise I will friggin' kill you," Adena threatened.

"Aw, come on! When have I broken a promise?" Sora questioned, a cheesy grin on his face.

"True…," Adena mumbled.

Sora started to walk down when Riku shouted for him, causing Sora to run down.

'Heh, Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear…,' Adena thought.

Riku threw Sora a wooden sword. They were going to have their almost daily spar now. Adena walked down to settle herself for the show.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again peoples! Thanks to all of you, especially SparkySkye812 and HeartsApart7, for reading this! I can't explain how happy I am.**

**Riku: Don't get two excited, this is only the third chapter...**

**Me: . Like I don't know that...**

**Adena: Mustangs-kid-1 does not own anything from Kingdom Hearts except me!**

**Kairi: Read and Review!**

**Sora: Hey! That's my line!**

* * *

Adena seated herself on the tree and patiently waited for the boys to start up. Almost immediately, they went at it. Wooden swords clashing; sometimes so hard that splinters flew. She cheered both of them on, though who she was really rooting for was the silver haired hottie, who was slowly dominating over Sora. Riku did a back flip and landed on the Paopu right beside her. Before Sora struck again, he turned and winked at her, before diving off of the tree in a finishing blow. With that, Sora was driven defeated into the sand.

Climbing to his feet, he swore to defeat Riku next time and ran off to find Kairi. Riku dropped to the ground, carelessly tossing away the wooden sword. Adena clapped for him and jumped off the tree to run to his side. He wiped his brow, sighing exasperatedly.

"Sora really gave me a workout this time...," Riku sighed.

"Well, he is getting stronger," Adena replied

He smirked cockily, "Yeah, but he'll never be as strong as me!"

She nodded in agreement, "It's funny, but... I have to agree..."

Riku recoiled with mock surprise, "Well, well, well! A compliment from Adena! I'm flattered!"

"Don't be too flattered," she said, punching him in the arm. "But time will tell when Sora will plow your face into the ground." Riku rolled his eyes. "Just wait! You gotta keep on your toes or he'll get you from behind!"

Riku leapt to his feet and took up his wooden sword. He grabbed Sora's discarded one and tossed it to Adena. She caught it with ease and looked up at him with a questioning look.

"How about a quick round before we head back?" Riku asked as he readied himself.

Adena cocked her head the side. "Are you sure, Riku? The last time I fought you, you went down pretty hard…and the time before...and before that…and that other time-"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Riku pointed his sword at her. "But this'll be different."

Adena smirks. "Tch, In your dreams!" She placed her headphones on her ears as she readied her sword.

They both took their fighting stances and waited for the other to make the first move. Riku twitched, giving her the signal. Both of them charged forward at the same time, swords meeting with a thunk as they parried each other's blows. It went on like that; one striking, the other countering. She was surprised at his strength; usually the matches she had with him were mostly one sided. Now it seemed their strengths were even. Then again, she hadn't sparred him for a good three to four months now. Plus, the last battle she had ended pretty closely. It seemed it was only a matter of time before he caught up with you; the same with Sora to him.

_Distant flickering, it's greener scenery._

_This weather's bringing it all back again._

_Great adventures, faces and condensation._

_I'm going outside and take it all in._

She ducked as he swung in a wide arc and countered, jabbing forward for his ribs. He leapt back, circling around a palm tree to strike at her side. She parried just in time, skidding her both back a few feet. They both panted heavily; this was turning out to be a very good spar. Taking up fighting stances again, there was another charge and Riku dove to strike her. She miraculously leapt to the Paopu tree, clinging to the upper part where the fruit grew. Riku, still crouched, looked up a little too late. She had swung down quickly, just in time to drop kick him to the sand before he could stand back up.

_You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,_

_I don't believe any of it._

_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_

_You know you're better than this_

She crouched low over him, ready to finish the battle, when he pulled an unexpected move. He quickly sat up, stopping his face a fraction of an inch from hers, freezing her in place with embarrassment. He smirked and pushed up with his legs, sending her over the edge of the island and into the unforgiving ocean. It was a good thing her headphones were waterproof.

_Were a different pair, just something out of step._

_Throw a stranger an unexpected smile...with big intention._

_Still posted at your station._

_Always on about the day it should have flown._

She walked back to the island, dripping wet. She wrung herself out, glaring at a now laughing Riku.

"Now why is it that every time we spar, I get wet?" Adena question.

"Cause the ocean hates you," Riku said, wiping tears from his eyes.

She sighed, remembering the day she fell from the sky. "True…and you were there to save me every time…"

"Your damn right..," Riku sighed.

_You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,_

_I don't believe any of it._

_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_

_You know you're better than this. [2x]_

The two started to walk back to the docks to get their boats.

"Hey, Riku," Adena began, "Can I go back with you?"

Riku got into his boat and looked at her with a questionable look. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Sora and Kairi took my boat..," Adena replied, pointing to the empty spot next to Riku's boat.

Riku laughed and untied the boat. He held out a hand. "Hop on."

She took his hand and stepped into the boat, sitting down. "Sorry about this, Riku," Adena apologized.

"It's no problem," Riku shrugged, picking up and oar. "But since you're in my boat, how about you help out?"

Adena sighed and picked up an oar and started to row with the silver haired boy. Every couple of minutes he'd look back to see how she were doing and flash her a cute little smile, and she always smile back. Every smile, though, made her hurt a little inside. Why did he insist on flirting, when she knew his heart belonged to the little red head girl. It made her mad...But she didn't hate her, of course not...She just thought it was unfair, because she got two sweet boys, and she were left with no one...Just... unfair...But in her heart she couldn't be too mad with her…they were practically living with each other! She still had her headphones on, and a new song began to play.

_Inside out, upside-down twisting beside myself,_

_Stop that now, cos you and I were never meant to be_

_I think you better leave; it's not safe in here,_

_I feel a weakness coming on._

Riku noticed her and turned all the way around. Adena looked like she was deep in thought. He tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of it. He gazed at her with his aqua orbs.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked.

_Alright then (Alright then) I could keep your number for a rainy day,_

_That's where this ends, no mistakes no misbehaving,_

_Oh, I was doing so well, can we just be friends,_

_I feel a weakness coming on._

She looked away. "It's nothing…I just have a lot on my mind..," she mumbled.

Adena could tell he didn't believe her, but he turned around and kept rowing anyways. She sighed and kept rowing till they reached the shore. They dragged the boat next to the others of the other kids. Once on the main road, they walked on in silence. Once they parted ways, Adena walked on to Kairi's and her house. She stared at her feet with a hand on her heart.

"When will this pain stop?..." Adena whispered to herself.

_It's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all,_

_I don't want to feel like this, Yeah,_

_No it's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all,_

_I don't want to feel like this, so that makes it all your fault._

When she reached the door of the house, she grasped the material of her shirt around her heart. 'Why am I not enough for him?' she thought. She felt like busting into tears, but she was stronger than that. She walked into the house and entered Kairi's and her room. She looked at Kairi's sleeping form before lying down and listened to the rest of the song as she thought about the silver haired boy.

_Inside out, upside-down twisting beside myself,_

_Stop that now; you're as close as it gets without touching me,_

_Oh no, don't make it harder than it already is,_

_Mmm, I feel a weakness coming on._

_It's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all,_

_I don't want to feel like this, Yeah,_

_No it's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all,_

_I don't want to feel like this, so that makes it all your fault._

She soon fell asleep, tossing and turning with her headphones still on. She was having another fuzzy dream which was almost like a nightmare. Black creatures with yellow eyes crawling and creeping closer and closer…and all she could do was scream out.

_Big trouble losing control,_

_Primary resistance at a critical low,_

_On the double gotta get a hold,_

_Point of no return one second to go,_

_No response on any level, red alert this vessels under siege,_

_Total overload, systems down, they've got control,_

_There's no way out, we are surrounded,_

_Give in, give in and relish every minute of it_

_Freeze, awake here forever, I feel a weakness coming on._

'Riku!' Adena screamed as the creature took hold of her, threatening to engulf her.

'RIKU!' she screamed again, her sight fading as darkness consumed her.

She jolted awake, siting up and panting heavily. She looked over at the clock which read 3:05AM, then looked over at Kairi who was still sleeping soundly. She sighed in relief and took off and turned off her headphones.

'Another nightmare…,' she thought, almost shuddering. She layed back down and stared at the ceiling, trying to get her mind of things.


	4. Chapter 4

"Take that! Stupid tree!" Adena shouted as she swung her swords at a now sadly scarred paopu tree. She had gotten angry at it for being unable to get the fruit growing from the top. Now the poor tree was sword practice.

"Adena! You hit that tree anymore it's going to fall down!" Kairi shouted as she walked over to her.

Adena only chuckled. "That's what it gets for being a selfish fruit hogger," she mock glared at it. "At least I can sharpen my skills."

Kairi sighed. "Why don't you ask Riku or Sora to get you one?" she asked.

Adena's face warmed up at the mention of his name. She turned away. "Cause then I'd be forced to be ridiculed by the Mr. Sarcastic."

Kairi just rolled her eyes. "Come on!" She grabbed Adena's arm and led them to where Sora and Riku were talking.

"Hey, Sora. Our raft still needs a name," Riku said. "Let's see...How about Highwind?" He then asked, "What would you call it?"

"Me? Well…hmm…," Sora thought for a moment. "Excalibur!"

"Hey, how 'bout…" Riku began.

"The usual?" Sora finished.

"Let's do it! Riku exclaimed. Kairi and Adena heard their conversation. Kairi started running over to them, still dragging Adena along.

"You guys at it again?" Kairi asked, already knowing the answer. "All right, I'll be the judge!"

Adena sighed, feeling she had no say in the matter.

"The usual rules apply: Take any route you want…," Riku explained. "First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins."

"If I win, uhhh I'm captain!" Sora exclaimed. "And if you win…"

"I get to share the paopu with Kairi," Riku finished without hesitation. This earned a 'Huh?' from Sora and Adena. She felt something hurt inside when Riku said that, causing her to mentally cursing herself.

Riku smirked at Sora. "Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"Wha…Wait a minute…," Sora stuttered, a confused look plastered on his face.

"Okay! On my count:," Kairi announced. Adena stood beside Kairi, taking out her sketchbook. The two of them started counting down. " 3, 2, 1, Go!"

With that, Sora and Riku dashed off, leaving sand flying behind them. Adena sat down, opened her sketchbook, and started to draw. Kairi looked over at her sketchbook.

"You're getting better every day," Kairi commented. Adena looked up from her sketch of a sword.

"Thanks…Hey, Kairi, can I ask you something?" Adena asked.

"Sure, we practically sisters you know," Kairi grinned.

Adena shook her head, returning the grin. "Heh, true true," she laughed a little. "Anyway, so…um..do you like Sora…or Riku?"

Kairi tilted her head. "What with this?" Kairi asked, knowing all too well that Adena wouldn't answer. "Well, I dunno…I guess you'll have to find out yourself."

"Aww! Kairi!" Adena groaned. "Why do you do this to me?" This only earned a giggle from Kairi.

With that, the boys started running back to the starting place, Sora in front.

"Now the score's 1 to 0!" Sora shouted, thrusting his fist into the air.

"Man, lighten up. It's just a name, after all," Riku sighed. Sora just glared at him in replied.

"Ok, boys, no fighting now," Adena said, getting up. "Besides, someone needs to cough up a paopu for someone."

Riku started walking off. "Later."

"I should check on him," Kairi said, running after him. Adena facepalmed herself.

"Why am I such an idiot?" she asked herself.

"I wouldn't call you an idiot…," Sora answered. "But that was probably not the best move…"

"Thanks, Sora," Adena muttered. "I guess I'll talk to him later…"

Sora put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up. You're just being yourself!"

"Heh, that's one way of saying it..," Adena chuckled a little.

~At Sunset~

A couple hours later, Sora, Kairi, and Adena sat on the paopu tree while Riku leaned against it. Adena swung her legs a little on the edge as they gazed out at the sunset.

"So, Kairi's and Adena's homes are out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked, looking over at Riku.

"Could be," Riku replied, arms crossed. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far will a raft take us?" Sora questioned, leaning forward a bit.

Riku flicked his hand. "Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"So suppose you get to another world," Kairi began. "What would you do there?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it," Riku hesitated. "It's just…I've always wondered why we're here on this island." He paused and began to explain. "If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds…then ours is just a small part of something much greater." Riku stopped, then continuing. "So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Sora mumbled, now laying down on the tree.

"Exactly, That's why we need to go out there and find out," Riku said a-matter-of-factly, walking to the edge of the island. "Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff, so let's go."

Adena sighed, with headphones on. Kairi then asked, "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?"

"Thank to you," Riku said, facing her. "I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."

Adena looked away, feeling kinda downtrodden.

"Adena too," Riku continued. Adena looked back at him. "Without her, I wouldn't have had the determination to do this...so thank you, too."

"You're welcome," Kairi and Adena said in unison.

Adena started to hum as one of her favorite songs started to play in her headphones. Kairi knew the tune well and joined in. Sora and Riku listened to the two, not really knowing what song they were humming.

"Hey, what is that song, anyway? You guys never told me," Sora asked, sitting up a bit.

Adena shrugged. "I don't know…it was on my mp3 player when I landed here…"

"It's a neat song though," Kairi added.

"I'm still amazed on how that thing survived the fall," Riku muttered.

Adena chuckled. "You and me both."

"So how about you sing it for us?" Sora asked.

"Uh, sure, I guess since you guys haven't heard it," Adena replied. "Kairi, wanna join in?"

"Of course!" Kairi grinned.

Adena took out her mp3 player and unplugged it from her headphones. Kairi took out Adena's portable speaker from her backpack and plugged it in. As Kairi restarted the song, Adena looked up into the now dark red sky with a few stars showing. When the intro played, they took a deep breath as they began to sing.

_In this farewell, There is no blood  
There is no alibi  
Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth  
Of a thousand lies  
So let mercy come and wash away_

What I've Done  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
and let go of what I've done

Put to rest, What you thought of me  
Well, I clean this slate  
With the hands, Of uncertainty  
So let mercy come, And Wash away

What I've Done  
I'll face myself  
To cross what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done

Adena suddenly stood up on the tree and started holding an imaginary microphone while singing the solo part. Kairi just giggled while Sora joined in on the air guitar. Riku just stood there, amused.__

For what I've done  
I start again  
And whatever pain may come  
Today this ends  
I'm forgiving what I've done

I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done  
(Na,Na,Na)

What I've Done  
What I've Done  
Forgetting what I've done

After the song finished, Adena sat back down and the two girls started laughing.

"That was awesome!" Sora exclaimed, still playing air guitar. This only increased the girls' laughter.

"I'm impressed, you have a good voice, both of you," Riku said.

Adena rubbed her neck, embarrassed. "Thanks…"

The sky, now darkening with a fading sunset, signaled it was time to return to the main island. Sora, Kairi, and Adena hopped of the tree as all four of them started walking back to the boats.

"Sora," Riku called, causing Sora to turn around. Riku then threw a yellow, fleshy object at him, which earned him a confused look.

"You wanted one, didn't you?" Riku questioned.

"A paopu fruit…," Sora said aloud. Kairi kept walking but Adena stopped and looked back at the two boys.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," Riku explained, walking past Sora. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what." He then waved at him as he walked on. "Come on, I know you wanna try it."

"What are you talking-," Sora started to say, but was interrupted but Riku's laughter.

Sora just shrugged and threw the paopu aside. Riku and Sora started running to the boats. Adena and Kairi looked at each other and started to take off also. Though, this day might be the final one of normalcy…

~That Night~

Adena slept soundly in the warmth of her bed, though soft pings were heard out her window. Wait, pings? The pings turned to bangs, causing Adena to jerk up and see Sora banging on the window. She looked at Kairi's bed, but she was nowhere to be found. She then opened the window, slightly irritated.

"Dude, it's like midnight…what's up?" Adena questioned.

"A storms coming!" Sora exclaimed. Adena's eyes widened at the realization.

"The raft!" Adena concluded. She got dressed, got her backpack of itmes, and jumped out the window. "Let's go!"

Sora and Adena ran to the boats as they headed for the small island. Riku's and Kairi's boat were gone, so they both had to use Sora's

'What's going on? This isn't normal,' Adena thought as they rowed.

When they got to the island, they saw Riku's and Kairi's boats.

"What is that?" Sora said, motioning to the reddish sphere in the sky.

"I don't know…but we better look for Riku and Kairi," Adena said.

Suddenly, black shadows began to form into small creatures with glowing yellow eyes. They looked exactly like in Adena's nightmare.

"What the-," Sora gasped. Adena pulled out her two swords and stepped in front of Sora. She looked back at him.

"You go look for Riku and Kairi," Adena commanded. "I'll take care of these things."

Sora nodded and ran off to search for the two missing friends. Adena took her fighting stance as the little creatures came at her. She took a couple swings at them, seeing they disappeared as she hit them.

'This is easier than I thought,' she thought. She started running, seeing the creep after her. She swung her doubled-edged sword at them, taking out half the creatures. She caught the sword as it came back to her. When she came to the Paopu tree, she saw Sora and Riku. She was about to shout for them when she suddenly became dizzy.

_**Keyblade…**_

___The king?_

_** Heartless…**_

___Shh…you're safe now._

_** Worlds disappearing…**_

___Darkness will consume everything…_

_** Master…**_

___Hearts of pure light…_

_**Your Majesty!**_

_Shut up!_

_** You're the only one who can save us!**_

___I will protect them._

_** You aren't the Keyblade Master.**_

___Just follow the beat!_

_**Dragons?…**_

_Don't be a weakling…_

_** Help me!**_

___I gotta get stronger!_

_** Let's move out!**_

__Adena' head started to throb with pain as images flashed rapidly through her mind. She couldn't make out what Sora and Riku were saying, but could still see them. As her vision began to blur, she saw Riku being engulfed by darkness.

"R-riku…Sora…," Adena choked out. Her vision faded as Sora too was engulfed by darkness. Before she could act, she fainted and collapsed. The darkness had spread, consuming her as well. She was now helpless as the darkness swept her away from her home and friends.


End file.
